Making a leather knife sheath, step by step
These notes follow one project from start to finish: a hand-made leather sheath for a knife. Each page covers a single stage, from the parts of a sheath to the pattern, welt, wet forming, stitching and finishing. Read them in order or jump to the stage you're on.
How a Leather Knife Sheath Works
The parts of a leather knife sheath (body, welt, throat, belt loop) and how each one helps hold the knife and protect the stitching.
Choosing Leather for a Knife Sheath
What thickness and type of leather suits a knife sheath, what leather ounces mean, and why vegetable-tanned leather is used for wet forming.
Drawing a Sheath Pattern From Your Knife
How to trace a knife onto paper, add room for the welt, stitch line and belt loop, and test the paper pattern before cutting leather.
Making and Fitting a Welt
What a welt does in a knife sheath, how to cut it, test it with the knife, and glue it so the stitching stays clear of the blade edge.
Wet Forming a Sheath Around a Knife
How to dampen vegetable-tanned leather, protect the blade, press the leather to the knife's shape and dry it so the fit holds.
Stitching a Knife Sheath
How to cut a stitch groove, mark and punch the holes, and saddle stitch a sheath seam so it stays tight and away from the blade edge.
Finishing and Drying a Knife Sheath
How to dry, trim, sand, bevel and burnish the edges of a leather knife sheath, when to dye and seal it, and how long the sources say to wait.